Genea Beads 2011 by Parigo Studios 2010

Saturday, May 10, 2014

Bead Soup Blog Party 8- Reveal!

Well today is the big day! How did you do? Did your designs just jump onto your bead table and transform into amazing creations?

I will just give a quick re-cap of things before my reveal. My very talented partner is Jael Thorp of Jael's Jewels. She sent me these amazing beads with which to work! She really spoiled me!

So believe it or not, I broke the rules! Shame on me! It's been a crazy time. I just recently moved and ran into a run of interesting problems to say the least with my studio still sitting disassembled in my garage :( You can read about the "demon sink" episode here. Nothing kills creativity like stress! Ick.

So I did something I don't normally do. I took on more things than I could "handle". If any of you know me you know I am NOT what I call a "pressure cooker"(the people that work best under pressure) or a procrastinator. Lately in life I have had to let things go, give up my plans, go with the flow, and "fly by the seat of my pants". This is really challenging for me, but provides me with some good balance.

So how did I break the rules? I didn't use our "required" pieces to design my soup. I looked at it like this. I figured I would just start with the things that inspired me and hopefully putting those things together would keep that good energy going.

During one of my morning meditations. Jael's heart beads came into my mind with this design around them. I recalled a pair of earrings my friend Melissa had made that looked very henna patterned with lots of negative space. This is the design that popped into my head. When I got done with my meditation I sat down to create these earrings! I call them "Sunshine Lotus" earrings.

"Loving Lotus Rays" -Jael's hearts with the faces and petals make me think of flowers and suns. This design works both as flower petals or sun rays. The earrings are surprisingly light for their size and I just love the negative space and repetition of the petal/ray shape in the design.

This was the bead that was really talking to me. I just love this sweet little ocean and shore bead. Don't you just love the little waves lapping up onto the sand? The shimmer of the glitter? The color faded waves, sandy texture and shell? Yep, I love it all!

Here is my design in progress.

Here is a close-up of the "cord" part of the design. I just love all of the details! I was especially pleased with how I rocked those tumbled recycled glass hoops from Trinket Foundry! There are no holes in the hoops for stringing materials. I make swirl centered wooly wire connectors to make the hoops into a chain, and then used hemp to suspend the recycled glass rounds across the center :D

I love the contrast of the bone beads and fish vertebrae along with my stone textured lampwork and the shimmer of the raku beads by Xaz. I chose a hill tribe copper simple hook clasp to stay on that oceany primitive theme. I didn't want anything to fussy or fancy for the clasp.

For the pendant I wanted to create a long dramatic focal point. I used one of Karen's gorgeous flower hoops at the top with one of my ocean beach stone jewel wing dings, and Jael's beautiful beach bead at the bottom.

I call this one "99 problems, but a beach ain't one". This necklace is a bit hard to photograph in some sort of normal sized photo since the pendant is so long. I think this shot really got all of the details in one photo.

Well honey you sure didn't let anything dampen your creativity. Your soup was just yummy it sure wet my appetite. What that brilliant brain of yours designed and created is more than amazing it is gorgeous, beautiful and I actually heard and felt the beach in that one design. ty so much for sharing..

Thank you to everyone for your kind words, comments, and stopping by! I will be e-mailing everyone that left me a comment personally as I know how hard it would be to go back to each blog to see if anyone has written back :) xo Genea

Hi Genea,those earrings are just stunning!!and the necklace too !! You made a fantastic tasty job with this soup and You got some nice beads to work with for sure :-) from Your partner... and those You make xo B

Awesome designs! I love the details of the earrings, so fun to see hoops that aren't worn as hoops if you know what I mean, but love the open feel. The details on the necklace are divine, love all those textural combinations. Great job considering the moving etc, hopefully it will feel like a great home in no time

After all you've been through, I can't believe you made such amazing pieces with such terrific detail! I LOVED the beach and shell bead when I first saw it and am doing a trade with Jael to get one! And you KNOW how much I love your beads -- your style has developed so beautifully since the time I first did Cup of Bead Soup with you!

You know I did sit around and feel sorry for myself and stress out, and in the end I realize that these things are just annoying and they will pass(although that just doesn't make the stress dissolve). Then I think of people like you Lori who struggle with their health and thing how can I complain and be upset and annoyed with things that are out of my control when you are in a fight with your own body? It is me who admire you my friend. How you even get up out of bed some days makes you such a brave person indeed!

Thanks so much! I got lucky. I really wanted to connect with Jael's super intricate and colorful pieces, but I just went with the ones that talked to me. These ideas for the pieces I did create just flooded in with such details I had to sit down and get them together. I did too! I have this love of the beach and ocean for some reason even though the ocean terrifies me(all the creepy stuff living under waves you can't see with icky stuff touching your feet. *dies*). Maybe it's because my star sign is Cancer? How awesome! I am glad you are getting yourself a wonderful little shore bead! I do! Thank you so much! I am honored to have traveled with you on my bead career where you have been able to see me grow <3

Ginger-Thanks so much Ginger! I had my doubts. Stress can really stifle creativity! I'm so glad you enjoyed my design. Thanks for your kind words! She is! I just love the intricacy and colors in her work! Ha ha ha! Yes, we are! Thanks so much for stopping by. xo Genea

I am I am blown away by all the talent that is coming from the participants in Bead Soup 8. You did an amazing job with your soup. And you have some yummy things left to work with. I love the earrings.

I can almost hear the waves and smell the salt... It took me a second on that focal.. I was like... what?!!! NO way! That's a slice of beach on a pendant. It's absolutely beautiful. You composed it beautifully! Another thing- this wooly wire stuff- it intrigues me and I love the earrings you made.

I looooooove those earrings Genea. And I looooooove the necklace too. I loooooooove how you use and combine beads and components in such creative and fun ways. Looking at your designs makes me wanna rush right into my studio and start creating. So inspired :-).

I remember when you showed that beach bead with the polymer clay waves and that was so inspiring! What you did with it is dynamite! I adore the swirly wooly wire....squee! I never would have thought to use it like that. And it plays so well with all your other pieces, especially your wind dings! Those earrings are such a great design. Again, with the wooly wire! You are a marvel, Miss Genea. I love how your mind works! Thank you for sharing your talents with the 8th Bead Soup. Enjoy the day! Erin

You definitely have a real vision and talent for designing one of a kind pieces that make a statement. These pieces were no exception. I can't wait to see what you come up with for the rest of the soup, when things finally start to settle down for you (and I do hope they do soon! I know how awful stress can be.)

that wooly wire looks so interesting! both pieces are amazing but I have to say the earrings are my fav. They look so fun and light! hope you get your workspace up and running soon - and stress really does kill creativity, but sometimes the procrastination can make you create something you never would have thought of before!

Alainn- Oh it's so much fun with which to work. Have you gotten to try some wooly wire yet? I did a video tutorial on finishing the ends and doing a wire wrap. You can see it here.

I am super excited to be teaching a class on wooly wire at Bead Fest Philly in August! It's going to be so much fun! Thanks so much! They really are! They just look large due to the negative space. Me too! Omg it really does! Oh man I will be on a roll as soon as I get back up and running! Thanks for stopping by. xo Genea

Oh holy cow Genea, that is so awesome. I love them so much! The beachy necklace is just... holy wow. Pardon while I flail with tiny dinosaur arms for a second. THe lotus earrings, also super cool. Beautiful job!

Great bead soup to begin with, and you made wonderful pieces with it. I love your necklace and seeing your process in putting it together. I can put off a trip to the sea for a bit longer now that I've seen that design!

OK, I love it all, but that necklace with the beach center....oh my goodness!!! I have to say, that is my favorite! How lucky were to to get such a great soup to design from....and design you did!!! AMazING!! ~KM

Great blend of mixed media! I love the bohemian assemblage style, it is warm and earthy. Your pieces have a lot of interesting textures to them which draw your eyes completely around the design. Great organic nature to the designs.

Fabulous! But then pretty much everything you make I love. The earrings are adorable. Great use of the wooly-wire and negative space. I especially love the combination of that yellow flower ceramic with the polymer beach focal. It looks like the sun shining on the beach. And of course your mix of textures is brilliant as always.

Hi Genea,Your "Sunshine Lotus" earrings are very cool. "99problems, but a beach ain't one" is awesome. It is one of the best pieces I have seen in this hop. Using wooly wire to link the sea glass hoops was very creative and it added great texture. The lampworked waves on the beach bead is fabulous.Wonderful job using your soup.

Love those sunshine lotus earrings and the beach themed necklace is what we all need after this long winter. I'm sure nobody noticed that you broke the rules. Besides you have a good excuse with moving house in the midst of all this partying. Beautiful work.

Nice necklace! Love turquoise jewlery :) I'm actually organising a mass bead soup where all the crafters get the same set of beads :) i think it ll be really cool too see what 10s or even 100s of people make with the same beads! planning to send out the beads 2 aug with designs revealed end aug. Would be cool if u d like to take part (details on https://hapinesswherever.wordpress.com/bead-soup/) :)